The population boom of the mid twentieth century is a major contributing factor to the high senior population. According to the United States Population Reference Bureau, the population ratio of adults over the age of 65 will continue through the year 2060. Currently, there are about 46 million adults aged over 65 in the United States. With the number of the elderly population increasing in size, the presence of age induced memory loss increases.
The two most common neurodegenerative disorders that occur during the elderly life are Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Currently, more than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. The number is expected to rise over 16 million by the year 2050. In the United States 1 in 3 elderly experiences Alzheimer’s or dementia. Dementia is another leading memory disorder characterized by a group of symptoms involving loss of memory, and degradation of thinking and social abilities severely enough to interfere with daily activities.
According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, more than 70% of adults over the age 65 will need long-term care such as assisted living at a certain point in their lives.
Assisted Living Federation of America defines Assisted Living as “a long-term care option that combines housing, support services, and health care, as needed.” This type of care needs to be catered to the needs of specific individuals depending on their health conditions. When we are considering the elderly with neurodegenerative and memory disorders, it’s important to note that they require specialized care addressing the problems they have with cognition and memory. Memory care is a distinct form of senior care. Memory care is a type of assisted living that involves a special form of long-term personal assistance. The memory care staff are trained to cater to the needs of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, and other types of dementia. At certain memory care communities, there are special care units (SCU), memory care units that provide 24-hour supervised care in the community.
Seniors experiencing memory loss will require some form of assisted living.
If a person has a memory disorder like Alzheimer’s or Dementia, then a dedicated memory care community is the most suitable care situation. In addition to having staff specializing in caring for residents with memory loss, the staff in a memory care community are constructed to accommodate the special needs of the elderly with memory disorders. The wards and the community are better designed to reduce the wandering behavior with the memory declination and provide more familiar pleasant environments that are easy to navigate.
Memory care is a natural extension of assisted living.
Assisted living may be adequate for someone with moderate memory impairment, but for those seniors who need much more individualized and specialized care, memory care experts provide the ultimate solution. Specialized care experts will provide optimal care for the elderly with Alzheimer’s and dementia. They will create a familiar environment for the elderly and will help them recover from episodic memory loss and provide the comfort they need. Not everyone can provide care for residents with dementia related disorders. They require patience and special training to handle the confusion, anxiety, agitation and many other related symptoms of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Please contact us for more information about our Memory Care program to Schedule a Tour.
The specially trained memory care staff are capable of handling the confusion and agitation due to the memory impairment, and they will be able to take care of them better than friends or family can care for them at home. At Ventura Townehouse’s memory care program, the specialized and dedicated staff along with special amenities mean your loved ones will receive the best care they need to lead a happy and peaceful life. Please contact us for more information about our Memory Care program to Schedule a Tour.
